Fully Automated Beer Cooling and Dispensing System

Abstract

Texas Instruments is the world leader in digital signal processing and analog technologies. In order to showcase two new products (the ADS1220 and DAC8760), the company created a project to cool and dispense beer automatically. The ability to successfully display the accuracy and precision of their new technologies is key in the design and manufacture of loop powered sensor field transmitters, utilizing high precision data converter integrated circuits. These transmitters are used to monitor temperatures at different locations within the beer cooling system through the use of Resistance Temperature Device (RTD) sensors. The sensors, along with other industrial instrumentation, interface with a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) to dispense beer at the appropriate temperature and fill a receptacle to the desired level. The water, cooled by the Thermal-Electric Coolers (TECs), is re-circulated through a water bath that houses the beer coil and absorbs the heat dissipated by the beer at a rate of 37°F/hr. Additionally, system status and settings can be seen and changed by a user through an iPad GUI application. This temperature control application highlights TI’s accurate and precise technologies for designers in the process control industry.